Freestone · Acidic Sandstone · West Virginia

Cranberry River

Wide view of the Cranberry River flowing through a forested valley in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest
Marginal · Rainbow Trout
Foam Beetle · 14-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
Low and clear — careful approach country. Cover and shadow are doing the work today.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelLight rain recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp19.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Foam Beetle
Foam Beetle14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Light rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp19.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather20°C
WindSW 14 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent5.9 mm
Rain · ahead3.3 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 19.4°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 5pm

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Early Black StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Eastern Golden StoneHatch
2
2
Slate Drake / IsonychiaHatch
2
3
3
3
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
1
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of the Cranberry River flowing through a forested valley in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest
    The Cranberry River from a bridge near Big Rock Campground, Monongahela National Forest
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Native brookies (notably the Dogway Fork) alongside stocked trout in the main river; acid-deposition history (liming restoration). brook_trout (char comfort-overlay), rainbow_trout and brown_trout all score post-seed; native brookies handled conservation-first.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Cranberry River' (WV-KG-103_04), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Metals Other Than Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · WV-KG-103_04

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 31 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature59 × 28%16.5
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Conditions total= 66
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts